How to Host a Minecraft Server: 11 Steps

2024 Author: Samantha Chapman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 09:13

Winner of seven video game awards, Minecraft was developed by Markus Persson in 2009 and released as a full PC game in 2011. It is now also available for Mac, Xbox 360 and Playstation 3. Minecraft is an open world game that can be played by solo or in multiplayer mode, but still requires you to rent or host a server. Hosting a server requires downloading a file, installing it on your computer, and then connecting to the server. The following steps show you how to host a Minecraft server on a Windows PC or Mac.

Steps

Step 1. Consider the capabilities of your computer

If you plan on using it as a server for Minecraft, you will need a fast CPU and enough RAM to handle the number of people you expect will log into your server to play. This is especially important if you plan to use the computer to play the game yourself and at the same time act as a server for others.

Step 2. Check the speed of your internet connection

You will need a good download and upload speed to allow players to interact with each other in real time.

Step 3. Make sure you have the latest version of Java on your system

This program that allows you to use your computer as a Minecraft server requires the use of Java. The most current version, at the time of writing this article, is Java 8.

• Windows computers usually don't have Java pre-installed. You can install the current version of Java from https://www.java.com/en/download/manual.jsp. Java is available in 32-bit and 64-bit versions. You can run the 32-bit version on a 64-bit computer, particularly if you are using an older version of the browser that only supports 32-bit. However, you cannot run 64-bit Java on a PC with a 32-bit configuration.

  

• Macintosh computers, on the other hand, usually have Java pre-installed and update it automatically. If your Mac does not have the latest version of Java installed, you can get it from the same site where the Windows version is available.

  

Method 1 of 1: Set up a Host Server

Step 1. Create a folder for the server application program

This mainly helps to maintain a certain cleanliness to make sure you know where the application has been installed if you need to access it directly. Give the folder a meaningful name such as "MinecraftServer".

• You may want to place the server in the root path of your hard drive, which on most computers corresponds to "C: \" in the folder on the Desktop.

  

Step 2. Download the correct application for your system

The format of the file to download depends on the type of computer you have, whether Windows or MacOS.

• For a Windows system, download Minecraft_Server.exe and save it in the folder you created in the previous step. This file is available on Minecraft.net.

  

• For a Macintosh, download minecraft_server.jar and save it in the folder you created in the previous step. This file is also available on the Minecraft website.

  

Step 3. Prepare the application program for use

• For the Windows executable, double-click on the file to launch it. You will see an interface window and a series of messages.

  

• For the Macintosh.jar file, create a command file by opening TextEdit and choosing Make Plain Text from the Format menu. Copy the statement "#! / Bin / bash cd" $ (dirname "$ 0") "exec java -Xmx1G -Xms1G -jar minecraft_server.jar" (without the quotes). Save the file in the same folder as the.jar file, using the.command extension and a descriptive name such as "start" or "startserver." Then open Terminal and type "chmod a + x" (including the space, but not the quotes) and drag the.command file into the terminal window, then hit the Enter key. Then double click on the.command file, which launches the jar file.

  

• At this point, with the executable or jar file, you may get some missing file warning. This is due to files that do not exist but will be created when the program first runs. When you see the word Done, after a Preparing spawn area message, enter stop in this field. Hit enter.

  

Step 4. Customize the settings to play Minecraft

You can do this by logging into server.properties or with Notepad in Windows or TextEdit in MacOS. Once you've configured the settings the way you like, save your changes.

• Leave the game mode setting at 0 if you want to play Minecraft in survival mode, where players must gather food and other resources while risking being injured by opponents. To play in creative mode, where players take no damage and can instantly fix and destroy blocks, set the game mode to 1.

  

• To set the degree of difficulty in survival mode, change the difficulty value. The value 0 corresponds to "Peaceful", where there are no crowds of enemies; a value of 1 corresponds to "Easy", where crowds exist as a minor threat; with a value of 2 the crowds correspond to an average threat, while with a value of 3, the most difficult, the crowds become the greatest threat.

  

• You can understand how other settings work and what they affect based on the Minecraft wiki.

Step 5. Decide who can access the game

You need to enable players who can have access to the server to play Minecraft, but you need to prevent other people from invading the game.

• First of all enable the "white list" on the server.properties file by changing the White-List setting to the value True. Then, edit the White-List file, adding your username and the usernames of each player you wish to grant access to your server. Press Enter after each username.

  

Step 6. Decide who has administrator privileges

Administrators, or moderators, can issue commands from chat mode while the game is in progress to add or block players, or to modify the game. Assign administrator privileges by entering usernames in the Ops or Admin list (for older Minecraft versions) with the same procedure you used for the "white-list". You will definitely want to enter your username, along with that of other people you trust and want to assist you.

Step 7. Configure your router to make the server visible to players outside your network

You will need to set the router with output port 25565 (TCP) to the Minecraft server. The exact instructions vary depending on the make and model of your router; a list of routers with instructions on setting the output port can be found at

Step 8. Find your public IP address

You will need to provide this address to anyone outside your restricted network in order to connect to the Minecraft server. You can find your public IP address by searching the Internet with a subject like "what is my IP".

The last two steps are only required if you are playing Minecraft with players who are physically located elsewhere than you and your server. For a party game over LAN or in a game room at a science fiction convention, where all the players are in the same place, you won't need your public IP address or your router's output port

Advice

• If you plan to accommodate a large number of players or want to set up a Minecraft server for a sci-fi convention, you could rent a server instead of setting it up yourself. You can search the internet for suitable hosts or search for them in the hosts section on Minecraft forums.
• If you only have a limited number of players, you could set up a virtual private network (VPN) instead of using the methods described above. A VPN requires all players who wish to connect to the server to install a program on their computer.
• You can also use the.jar version of the Minecraft server application on Windows, but to do this you will need to create a batch file in the same folder where you save the.jar file. You can create the batch file in Notepad, by pasting this line (without the quotes): "java -Xms512M -Xmx1G -jar minecraft_server.jar". Save the batch file with a.bat extension and a descriptive name such as "startserver" (this batch file is equivalent to the.command file on a Mac).
• To change the amount of RAM available to Minecraft at startup, change "1G" (for 1 gigabyte) in the batch or.command file to a larger number, such as "2G".
• Use a desktop computer as a Minecraft server if you don't have access to a dedicated server. While laptops are suitable for gaming, they usually don't have the same hardware quality as dedicated desktops or servers.
• If you are looking to use mods, you will need to install Minecraft Forge file servers. Everyone who connects to the server will have to use Forge with the same mods as the server.
• If you are interested in starting a server with plugins, you will need to use both Bukkit and Spigot. It's simpler for public servers because plugins are only required on the server and players can connect via the simple Minecraft game.